Happy happy merry merry to all my SuperStarters! We all love a good story and having interesting conversations. Today I have for you some little stories about how different Christmas traditions got started. That’s right, it’s the StartSomething Christmas edition.

Share these with your friends and family at parties and dinners, and they're nifty conversation starters if you’ve got holiday networking events or office parties that you’re going to. Telling these little tidbits are a great way to add something new to the conversation, and make you look pretty smart too.

For even more weird and fascinating Christmas facts, scroll down and check out the infographic-you'll even learn how to say “Merry Christmas” in a ton of different languages.

What Christmas or holiday traditions are YOUR favorite? Tweet me or post a comment on our Facebook page.

Listen To The Full Episode:

In this episode, you’ll learn about the beginnings of some of our Christmas traditions:

When Christmas was first celebrated, in the 3rd century, Christian religious activities were combined with pagan festivals.

Some conservative religious groups didn’t approve of Christmas celebrations, and even into the 1600’s, anyone celebrating was subject to a fine.

Christmas finally became popular in North America during the Victorian era. A photo of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria showed the German tradition of a decorated Christmas tree.

Exchanging gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birth began as people commemorated the gifts of the Wise Men.

In the Netherlands and Germany, children leave their SHOES out, not stockings.

In Finland, it’s traditional to visit the sauna on Christmas Eve.

Poinsettias are a Christmas plant, but they are really a tropical plant native to Central and South America. A minister discovered the plant in 1828 and brought it to the US, beginning its association as a Christmas plant.